


In All But Name

by SkyBlue1309



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, One Shot, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 19:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14339778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyBlue1309/pseuds/SkyBlue1309
Summary: Obi-Wan and Anakin meet in the past after the events that take place in ROTJ. One shot.Obi-Wan smiled. “We will be Jedi.”“In all but name.”





	In All But Name

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t own anything obviously. Also got the idea for this title from another story called All But Name by Mirror and Image which is an amazing story that you should all read! It is however over on fanfiction.net and not here on AO3 but it's really good! Really trying to find another story like this where AU from the other AU’s if you know what I mean. Anyways, great story and I really tried to pick a different title but it worked really well with mine. Hope no one minds too much. But check out the story!

Obi-Wan jerked awake, sitting straight up in the large bed he was laying in, his heart racing. The last thing he remembered was finally being at peace with his Padawan by his side. Obi-Wan pressed a palm to his thundering chest, feeling the steady, if rapid beat of his heart, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. While he held a certain amount of influence on the living, his world had not felt quite so real in a while, even on the planes of Tatooine. Obi-Wan had only been existing those past two decades, not living.

Obi-Wan felt the sheets gathered around his waist, slowly pulling himself out of the unfamiliar bed and onto the carpeted floor. The sheets were of a fine material that Obi-Wan wasn’t unfamiliar with but hadn’t felt in a long while. Certain missions involved a lot more fan fair than any Jedi was exactly comfortable with but required to accept or cause more of a problem for their host.

He padded barefoot to the window, jaw dropping when he took in the familiar sight of Naboo’s Royal Garden. He frowned, considering the room around him. He was in one of the guest bedrooms of Naboo’s palace; a place he had not been to in decades.

A pair of doors opened on Obi-Wan’s left, not the ones that led to the hallway, but the ones that led to another set of guest rooms that were shared with his own. The last person he expected to see was a young and bright eyed Anakin wearing a face he had not seen in years, let alone one so young, but one he would recognize in an instant.

“Obi-Wan!” Strong, small arms wrapped around Obi-Wan who didn’t miss a beat, picking up the child and squeezing him back, a gesture familiar and unfamiliar. He had never hugged Anakin much when he was a child, always worried about how the child created bonds like no other. Anakin was always a loving child, full of emotions. But emotions were not the Jedi way and Obi-Wan had promised that Anakin would be a Jedi.

“Anakin—what?” Obi-Wan clutched at the child in his arms, only realizing then that he was crying. He pushed Anakin back, seeing matching tears coming out of the child’s eyes as well. “What?” He repeated again, emotions all around him. He had only seen his Padawan for what felt like a few short minutes back with Luke and it hadn’t been nearly enough time to truly process the range of emotions that seeing him provoked. “How?” He clutched at Anakin’s clothes, realizing that they were the same beige white that he had gotten used to seeing on Tatooine. Clothing he hadn’t seen on Anakin in years.“You’re so young!”

“You are too,” Anakin said through his tears, looking up at him with glistening eyes.

Anakin buried his head in Obi-Wan’s chest again, Obi-Wan’s arms coming up around him and pulling him closer. They both seemed to be seeking the comfort of the other, something they had never done in living.

Obi-Wan looked around the room with new eyes, taking in what appeared to be his Jedi robes draped over one chair along with another that sent his blood freezing in his veins. “Anakin.”

The boy shifted, sensing the seriousness in Obi-Wan’s voice. Obi-Wan felt a brush against the Force and instantly welcomed it, feeling the age old bond snap back into place. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin sighed in contentment. Even after Anakin’s betrayal and living in the dessert of Tatooine Obi-Wan had never cut the bond that he’d had with his old apprentice.

It was one of Obi-Wan’s guiltiest secrets, but something he could never sever. It was faint and barely a single strand of thread held them together by the time that they faced off on the Death Star, but even that strand had held until Vader’s blade sliced through his body.

To feel the same bond, strong and pure was a balm to Obi-Wan’s old heart. Though he supposed it was young now. He stood without any familiar aches in his bones. He had forgotten what it was like to move without pain. He looked down at his hands, seeing only smooth skin and none of the freckles or sun-spots that he’d acquired from the Tatooine twin suns.

“Are we…” Anakin said, standing beside Obi-Wan and sliding his small hand into Obi-Wan’s, another gesture he’d only made in the first few months of their pairing and one that Obi-Wan had not encouraged. He wrapped his hand around Anakin’s own. Anakin’s eyes flew around the decadent room and finally landed on the window that Obi-Wan had been looking out before Anakin ran in. He inhaled, clutching tighter at Obi-Wan’s hand. “We’re on Naboo.”

Obi-Wan nodded, eyes once again fixated on the second brown robe that occupied the room. “Anakin,” he wasn’t sure exactly what he was asking or saying.

Anakin eyes followed his own, inhaling sharply when they landed. “Is that… Qui-Gon’s?”

Obi-Wan’s nod was as jerky as his steps, stumbling over to the item and clutching the brown robe in his hand. The worn but sturdy fabric sent an ache through Obi-Wan’s body when Qui-Gon’s familiar scent hit him. Obi-Wan looked around the room again, forcing his mind back to a time that he’d long forgotten, a time that he could barely remember, shadowed so heavily by grief. Obi-Wan sank down to his knees, staring blankly straight ahead.

Anakin appeared in front of him, confusion heavy in the Force. “Where are we?”

“I think the right question, my young apprentice, would be… when are we.” Obi-Wan finally said, staring down at the robe in his hands. He tentatively sent out a questing probe into the Force, recoiling a bit when he felt nothing other than Anakin’s bright presence in front of him.

Anakin had been silent throughout this, processing Obi-Wan’s words. Finally, he inhaled shakily. “Are you saying… that we time traveled?”

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin once again, taking in the young features. The blue eyes that were familiar but not. The last time he’d seen those eyes they had not belonged to a face so young, just like the last time he saw the body so young, they had not been attached to eyes so old. The last time he had looked at the flesh body of his Apprentice yellow eyes had shone back at him. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I—I remember Luke and the Emper—Palpatine. And dying… Obi-Wan, are we dead?” Anakin glanced around the room, flexing his right hand. The motion seemed to startle him, his head jerking down to the flesh hand. He lifted it to his eyes for closer inspection, turning it this way and that. “This doesn’t feel like death.”

“The last thing I remember was Luke and Leia celebrating the death of the Empire and you…standing next to me.”

Anakin’s head jerked up. “Leia…”

“Your daughter.” Obi-Wan nodded, already ready for Anakin’s outburst.

“You mean… Leia Organa was my daughter?” Anakin’s breathing picked up, eyes shining with renewed tears. He stood suddenly, head whipping around with increased franticness. “Leia, the girl who I saw practically grow up in front of the Emperor. She was right there! What was Bail thinking?” Anakin froze, his face paling. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head and groaning. “The girl that I tortured and forced to watch her planet explode. _Obi-Wan_.” He looked up, blue eyes latching on to Obi-Wan’s. “ _I’m sorry_.”

The words pierced through Obi-Wan, latching on to a place in his heart and burrowing there. Tears filled his own eyes at the fierce despair that was rolling off his Padawan. He’d never felt anything like this from Anakin before.

Anakin dropped his gaze again. “What have I _done_?”

“Anakin. _Anakin_ ,” Obi-Wan dropped to his knees, hands reaching out but Anakin flinched away from his hands. He let them fall to his knees. “You can’t—It’s not—”

“Don’t you dare tell me that it’s not my fault!” Anakin was frantic now, eyes crazed in self-hate. “I killed everyone! Everyone Obi-Wan! Even the younglings. Force,” all his energy left as suddenly as it had come. “Even the younglings. How can you stand to look at me?”

“Because I love you, Anakin.” Obi-Wan said just as surely as he should have all those years ago. His words were soft, but the truth rang through them. Because no matter what, even after everything, Obi-Wan still loved Anakin. It had been the one thing he always known and the only thing he’d ever kept from him, knowing that the boy would never be able to let him go. Emotions were Anakin’s vice, but also Obi-Wan’s. He was just much better at keeping them hidden. “I’ve always loved you.”

“Even after everything?”

Obi-Wan nodded.

“The bond…” Anakin’s eyes widened. “You never severed our bond.”

Obi-Wan shook his head.

“I always felt it but I thought surely… that I was imagining it. That you would never still keep the bond and it was me just being a sentimental idiot. Something that I couldn’t be as… Darth Vader.”

“You were my brother Anakin,” Obi-Wan said the words he had once screamed across the ashes of Mustafar. “I love you.”

Anakin leaped into his arms, a harsh sob ripping from his body. “ _Master_.”

A sharp knock on the door sent them both scrambling to their feet, Anakin hastily wiping at his nose. They stared at each other, both unsure what to do when the knock sounded again. Obi-Wan ran a hand down his jaw, frowning when he only felt smooth skin.

Anakin snickered. “No beard yet, Master.”

Ob-Wan scowled, though his eyes shown with amusement. He tugged a strand of hair on Anakin’s head where his Padawan braid had once been. Or would be, if his thoughts about where they were are correct. “And no Padawan braid yet for me to tug.”

Anakin smacked his hand away, eyes landing on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. He frowned, waving his hand, still being much too short to reach Obi-Wan’s height though they both knew that wouldn’t be for long. “But you do.”

Obi-Wan frowned as well, now noticing the weight of his Padawan braid on his shoulder. He twirled the braid in his hand, the strings and beads catching his eye. Each a mark of an accomplishment he’d made and put in place by his Master. Obi-Wan gave it a tug. “Well, this is odd.”

Another knock, drawing their attention again to the door. This time had been much louder. The person behind the door was getting impatient.

“Should we get that?” Anakin asked, eyeing the door apprehensively.

“I think the knocking would imply that we have to.” Obi-Wan grabbed his robe, leaving the other robe in its place.

Anakin stayed close behind him, clutching at the cloth of his sleeve as Obi-Wan opened the door to their room to see a handmaiden on the other side. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin frowned.

“My apologies for intruding,” the handmaiden said after a moment, having been startled by their sudden appearance despite her persistent knocking. She ran an eye over both of them, seeming to take in their appearance critically before returning to Obi-Wan. “The Jedi have arrived and are waiting for you in the Queen’s throne room. I was instructed to lead you there. Perhaps you would like a few minutes to freshen up?” She added on politely but with a tone that gave Obi-Wan the impression that he should have already been ready.

Obi-Wan nodded and shut the door, ignoring the startled look from the handmaiden. He would apologize alter. He turned slowly and looked down at Anakin who was looking up at him. It seemed that in the midst of Anakin’s turmoil and subsequent apology they had already forgotten about the situation they had found themselves in.

“I think that was Cordé.” Anakin said, glancing back at the closed door. “She was one of Padme’s old handmaidens but she died…” He trailed off and Obi-Wan knew they were both thinking about the circumstances that had led to her death. None of them had known then how important those assassination attempts were and that they would eventually lead to one of the most brutal and bloodiest wars the Republic had ever known.

“She was Padme’s decoy,” Obi-Wan said instead.

Anakin nodded. “How is this possible?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. I remember seeing you and Luke and then suddenly waking up in my bed with you coming running in after.” He had no idea what he would have done if he’d woken up in the past with his young Padawan looking up at him with eager eyes and trusting expression, if slightly unsure due to the passing of Qui-Gon Jinn, the man that had promised Anakin would be a Jedi.

“When are we?” Anakin asked.

“I think we’re at the end of the invasion,” Obi-Wan replied. His chest tightened as he looked at the familiar robe again. “The Jedi who’ve arrived must be here for Qui-Gon’s funeral.”

“And to decide if I become a Jedi.”

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin. He nodded once.

“What’re we gonna do?”

“First,” Obi-Wan said, his voice complete business. “We are going to wash up and not leave Cordé waiting for us any longer. Then we are going to greet the Jedi.”

“Are we going to tell them?”

Obi-Wan inhaled deeply, staring out at the greenery that stood outside his window. “No.”

“No?” Anakin replied, clearly not having expected that reaction. “But how’re they—what? We’re not going to tell them?”

“No,” Obi-Wan said again. “There’s too much at risk. We need to play it safe and right now I think it’s best if we simply continue on and figure out what our next move will be.”

“You mean to make sure that Palpatine doesn’t become the Emperor?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “And to make sure that this whole blasted war never happens. We’ve been given a gift Anakin and I’m not about to squander it.”

Anakin’s eyes lit up. “Me either!”

“Good. Now go wash up.” Anakin nodded and spun off, clearly makinguse of all the extra energy his youthful body held. Obi-Wan wasn’t jealous in the slightest, knowing that it would be difficult for Anakin to grow up again in body while already being well over both of their physical ages combined in mind.

 

***

 

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked, having appeared back from his rooms and seeing that Obi-Wan hadn’t moved an inch.

Obi-Wan raised his head from where he’d been looking at Qui-Gon’s robe but still didn’t say a thing.

“Obi-Wan…” Anakin said again, taking a hesitant step forward.

“What if we don’t become Jedi?” Obi-Wan finally said, looking straight at Anakin and taking in every facial movement and tick of his body. He needed to know what Anakin thought and couldn’t stand for any misunderstanding. He’d been thinking about this since he realized exactly when they were and the moment the words were out of his mouth he felt the Force singing with the rightness of them.

“What do you mean?” Anakin asked, taking a small step back.

“What if we don’t become Jedi?” Obi-Wan said again, kneeling in front of Anakin.

“What?” Anakin spluttered, overcoming his stupor. “What do you mean not become Jedi? That’s all you’ve ever been!”

“That’s all I had ever been.” Obi-Wan agreed easily. “But we… this is a second chance Anakin. We were given a second chance to do everything over again and maybe this is what the Force meant. Think about it. We could have been sent back at any point in time but we were sent back _now_. What if… we weren’t supposed to be Jedi, or at least not that type of Jedi—what if we didn’t stay with the Order? Follow our own code?”

“Follow our own code… You can’t be serious, Obi-Wan! This is you! You always follow the rules, you’re the best Jedi there ever was, you can’t not be a Jedi!”

“Who’s to say that by not being in the Order I won’t be a Jedi?”

Anakin seemed to have no words to that.

“What defines me being a Jedi?” Obi-Wan stood, the words becoming clearer as the thoughts formed himself in his head, the Force singing with rightness. He knew that he was saying the right thing. Making the right choice. They’d been given a second chance to save everything. Maybe that involved more than just saving them from the Emperor. “The way I live my life or simply being a part of something that gives me claim to a name? What is it to be a Jedi?”

Anakin took a step back, thoughts flying behind his eyes. In all the years Obi-Wan had trained Anakin he had never once asked Anakin what it was to be a Jedi in the first place. It was never something he was asked and never something he’d even thought of. Obi-Wan was born to be a Jedi. Just like every other initiate in their Order. It just simply was. No one questioned what made a Jedi a _Jedi._

“I—I don’t know.” Anakin finally said, looking at him with such wide eyes, as if he had never seen him before.

“Maybe we were put here for a reason. Think about it Anakin. We didn’t wake up a year ago or two years ago. I didn’t wake up before you were born to ensure that you didn’t become a slave.” Anakin winced but Obi-Wan powered on. “We didn’t wake up even a day ago when we could have stopped Qui-Gon’s death. We didn’t wake up right before the Clone Wars or in the middle of your apprenticeship. We woke up _now_.”

Anakin’s eyes lit up as he finally started processing. A small smile grew on his lips. “And you think that maybe… the Force is telling us to not become Jedi?”

“I think the Force is telling us that there is a different way. Maybe Qui-Gon’s death was always meant to happen and if we’d been given the opportunity we would have done anything to change it.”

Anakin nodded, knowing that Obi-Wan was right.

“Maybe this is what we are meant to do. We know what’s going to happen and we can try to change it. We can save the galaxy before the wars even started.”

“I— _Obi-Wan_ ,” Anakin said, looking completely dazed. Obi-Wan knew that his words were hitting hard. This was all they had ever known. They had already woken up in a past that they had already lived and here was Obi-Wan proposing something completely preposterous. “I—we just woke up! All I’ve ever known is being Jedi… and being a Sith—but that doesn’t really count. Sidious didn’t teach me anything.”

“If you chose to stay Anakin. If you chose to be a Jedi I will stay with you. We’re staying together this time. Until the end. And if you choose to stay, I will stay and be your Master once again. You will become a Jedi.”

Anakin’s eyes met Obi-Wan’s. A grin split his lip. “There will always be something for you to teach me, Master.”

“A person is always a student,” Obi-Wan agreed. He nodded his head once to himself and straightened his shoulders at Anakin’s decision. He hadn’t lied. He would follow Anakin to the ends of the Galaxy and back. “Even Master Yoda is always learning.”

“Maybe it’s time to learn something else,” Anakin said making Obi-Wan jerk his head back, spotting the large grin on Anakin’s face. His own lips moved upwards slowly as he took in his Padawan’s expression. “You will always be my master.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “We will be Jedi.”

“In all but name.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Please read and review. I hope you all enjoyed this story! It is staying as a one shot for now. It did come to me as a multi-chapter idea but I’m not going to get into it now and don’t know if I ever will. I do have lots of other Star Wars idea that will also be time travel but I think for now I’m going to leave it as this and let your imaginations take it where you want to. I am an aspiring writer so original works is taking precedence over fanfiction but if you want to follow me you can find me on Twitter and Instagram under rebeccaegan007 (yes, they’re both the same).


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